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Posts tagged ‘movies’

The art of film is something I’ve always truly enjoyed. But if you stop and think about it, it may be even more difficult and involve an entirely different creative style to develop a great short film. I recently came across this one called Haleema that I would like to share with our readers here at CD.

Have you ever thought ‘I like this film but I just can’t stand the narrator’? Or, ‘why is there even a narrator telling me this is Paris if you can clearly see the Eiffel Tower’? And what about voice-over translations that don’t make any sense?

There are 3 kinds of mistakes when talking about voice over or off-camera commentary in film production:

– The voice itself

There is always a character behind a voice, even if it’s just a narrator linking parts of the story, this voice has a personality. And this personality should match the tone and style of the story. In films where the voice over is used continuously, like in animated movies, a good casting is even more important. Characters need credibility and not having the adequate voice for them is a terrible mistake. Mistakes here are also related to the emotions ‘shown’, the tone of voice, a correct diction and any other techniques that are common to any kind of acting. The responsible for these mistakes would be casting and direction.

– The use of the voice over

Sometimes the use of a voice over is just not needed. When an image is already telling you the story, showing a context or you can see the personality of the characters with their looks and acting, you don’t need another voice to explain what you already know and make you aware that you are watching a movie instead of letting you dive into it. If a voice over is used to, let’s say, introduce a character, it should be to give additional information of what you don’t see or can’t explain otherwise. The responsible for these mistakes would be the scriptwriter.

– Translation mistakes:

We can find hundreds of mistakes when talking about voice over translations or dubbing. The choice of the voice is even more important here and should match not only the personality but also the physical appearance of the character. Translating dialogs and adapting them to another language is always a hard work. In addition to common translating difficulties, when doing a foreign language voice over, it has to look like the character is actually pronouncing those other words instead of the original ones. Again, credibility is needed in order to believe the story told. The responsible here would be the studio in charge of this post production service.

These are just general mistakes occurring in filmmaking, but voice over also happens in any kind of television production, radio, advertising, video games and audio visual in general, so imagine how many more mistakes can be done in each of them!

Anyone who writes or enjoys reading stories has at least a general idea of the various character types that make up the basics of virtually any story, novel, play or movie.

Of course, there are the villains, as more technically refereed to as the antagonists. And just as obviously there are the heroes, technically termed the protagonists. Just perhaps the most beloved character type that is in use more now than ever is the figure known as the anti-hero.

Some people may be familiar with this type of character but in the event that you are not one of them, an anti-hero is essentially a protagonist that is anything but perfect.

Gone are the days with squeaky clean heroes who always make the right decisions and never cross any moral lines. Writers and readers have come to embrace protagonists with faults, personal struggles and other serious and not so serious issues that they must face.

So why is the anti-hero so popular? I would venture to guess that it’s because he or she is a character to which people can more accurately relate. Quite frankly, they are more realistic. Even the most shinning examples of humanity struggle with their own issues from time to time. Nobody does everything right or always makes the right call pertaining to a moral or ethical situation.

I was flipping through the channels this morning when I came across one of the non “Fast and Furious” films that stared the late Paul Walker. It was a 2006 movie entitled “Eight Below” and having remembered it vaguely, I decided to watch the last half an our or so.

Being a dog owner and nature lover, I can tell you that this movie really pulls at the heartstrings. Though sad in some ways, it is also quite inspirational. And in honor of this film and the amazing creature that is the dog, it seemed like the right time to post some beautiful and artistic pierces showcasing these truly amazing creatures. I hope you enjoy them.

Every actor or actress in Hollywood got their start somewhere. But sometimes, prolonged and successful careers have come out of arguably one of the most interesting and creative film genres – fantasy films.

I happened to run into a friend the other day who is a major fan of one such movie and we got to taking about the subject. That being the case, I thought I’d take a quick look back at a few that really stood out for me, especially in the 1980s, and the starts that now enjoy household names who were part of these very cool projects.

The Princess Bride – 1987

Arguably one of the most beloved fantasy films of all-time, this fairy tale/action/love combination directed by the talented Ron Howard showcased Robin Wright (before she became Robin Wright Penn) and featured the long-time Criminal Minds series star Mandy Patinkin.

Labyrinth – 1986

With a creepy, evil David Bowie as her rival, movie fans discovered the beautiful and talented Jennifer Connelly playing the role of a 15-year-old unexpected heroine. While the movie didn’t do well at the box office, it has since enjoyed a massive cult following.

Willow – 1988

Although he had a few earlier roles (including in the film Top Gun with Tom Cruise) Val Kilmer began to capture the eyes and hearts of fans in this unusual adventure.

Have you ever had one of those experiences

in which you hear about a movie coming out and think to yourself – “wow, that looks pretty good” but somehow life gets in the way and the film slips from your mind. I think we’ve all been there. But sometimes, we’re lucky enough to come across that movie again months or even years down the road. This was the case for me with the film “Won’t Back Down.”

First off, considering it is based on a true story and set in my hometown of Pittsburgh, I knew there would be lots of Pittsburgh scenes and that’s always something I enjoy in a movie. The subject matter seemed interesting the film features a talent-filled cast including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Holly Hunter, Ving Rhames, and Rosie Perez just to name a few.

The plot focuses on a failing public school within the city’s district and one desperate parent’s fight to do something about it. That parent encounters resistance from the principal, teachers, some other parents, the school board and the powerful teacher’s union along the way. But she never gives up and her determination wins over and inspires others in the process.

If you like movies with both entertainment value and a message, you really should check this one out.

Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal and others in Won’t Back Down Courtesy of EV.com

One of the most creative forms of literature, which began long ago out of the desire to tell stories to the children of the world, is that which is commonly called the fairy tale. For a while, it might have seemed like the fairy tale had been relegated to the basement of the proverbial library, all but removed from the minds and hearts of readers for generations.

But, it would seem that perhaps the tide is changing. And as a creative writer myself, I’m curious to see how all of this turns out.

Where and when did this resurgence begin? We’ll that might be hard to pinpoint with any level of exactness. However, in my humble opinion, I’d venture to say that it really started in early 2012. Some might say that animated films like those of the “Shrek” series kick-started things but I’m not so sure that is the case.

In March 2012, Relativity Media released the film “Mirror, Mirror,” a new, yet not too far-fetched, version of the tale of Snow White. Soon after, a number of adjusted fairy tales began to emerge on the silver screen, all with new twists on the classic stories.

Some of these include:

Snow White and the Huntsmen (2012) – This movie is a bit more action, driven with a darker side to it.

Hansel and Gretel: Which Hunters (2013) – This one appears to focus on the chosen careers (as which hunters) after the original story. It is certainly of the action adventure variety.

Jack the Giant Killer (2013) – Also an action-oriented film, this take of the original looks to be a visual spectacular.

Other movies in development include revised versions of “Sleeping Beauty,” “Peter Pan and “Pinocchio” among several others.

As far as I can tell, most of these movies seem to be geared toward a more grown up audience with more graphic and mature themes.

At the very least, it should be interesting to see how all of this plays out and whether or not this current trend will be welcomed by the masses or simply turn out to be yet another fad of sorts within the entertainment industry.